The three things that are most important to me are:
My mind - Specifically, maintaining my mental health to prevent depression and trying to keep myself healthy so that I don't develop dementia. Is it preventable? I think some types of dementia can at least be staved off a little. As for depression, some habits help maintain it whereas others tend to keep it at bay. It can still creep in sometimes, despite one's best efforts.
My body - I have binge eating disorder, and my weight crept up over the years. Way, way, way up. Last fall, I found myself unable to stand for more than two minutes at a time. I believe in size acceptance. I know dieting leads me to further weight gain. However, I did not want to be immobile if it could be helped. So, with a lot of effort and extreme self-kindness, I used gentle exercise and combined that with techniques to overcome the binge eating. I lost 75lbs. Am I thin now? Hardly. However, I can walk again and I feel sane around food, and that's a lot. Continuing to exercise gently is very important.
My fiancé and my cats - Technically, they are not just one thing. Or... are they? I just love them. And sometimes, they make me crazy. And I love them. Sometimes, I make them crazy.
If I had to choose one thing that was most important to me, I think it would be my body and exercising it gently. The reason is that everything else flows from this: My mental health, keeping depression at bay, having the stamina to work, and being able to be physically, mentally, and emotionally present for my fiancé and the cats.
(Since you said we could post a photo, here is a photo of Louie, my ragdoll cat. I would show a photo of my other cat and my fiancé, but they said no.)
@owasco (as requested)
Before I sleep or atleast try to, I really wanted to respond to your comment!
First of all glad to have you here. I haven't seen you around here before but it is a pleasure to meet you!
I definitely agree with the approach of exercising your body gently and going from there. Our brain is the powerhouse of our bodies just like mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. I am happy to hear about the progress you have made so far! That's seriously a lot to be proud of 👏 👏 👏 ❤.
Just keep it going one step at a time but don't overwhelm yourself too much. Sending you all the peace, love and support for your journey. Don't forget to congratulate yourself on the small wins! It counts
Also, that's a super cute cat. Cats are my weakness. I just want to pat its head. Oh well, let me just do it virtually through my phone
pats pats
Wow @mooncity I always love your response on comments but I want to confirm.... Did you just gave a virtual hug to a cat? Where is mine? 🥺🤣
Merit nooooo I did not forget you 😂🤣🤣😆. Here is a hug for you ༼ つ ◕◕ ༽つ༼ つ ◕◕ ༽つ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Ahaaa I'm so happy now
That hug was so warm 🤗
Thank you for the encouragement. Louie thanks you for the virtual pets although he gets a lot of love in real life. He's a bit of a Daddy's boy, which is weird for me. I have never had a cat who preferred my partner. I sometimes feel like saying to Louie, "You know that your 'Daddy' didn't even WANT a cat? Do you realize that?"
However, it would be no use because Louie does not care. He and my fiancé are a mutual admiration society. Despite initially not wanting a cat, my partner is now completely delighted by being a cat Daddy.
I pretend to be a bit miffed that Louie shows such a clear preference, but, as much as I love Louie and would like for him to prefer me, I defer to cats' wishes.
Some people are adament that one should adopt a cat for life. I believe in that with a caveat (a cateat?): for life or until the cat decides otherwise. For example, years ago, I moved in with my Mom and I had three cats who also moved in. Two of the three fell in love with Mom. It was mutual.
When it was time for me to move out, I wanted to take all three cats, but I knew it was wrong. While they liked me a lot, for two of them, my Mom had become their new Mommy. The third one loved me unreasonably much (mutual).
So, with Mom's agreement, I left two of them with her. It was hard, but I still got to see them.
About the weight loss - Thank you for the encouragement. It's confusing because there is so much hatred towards large people. It is a socially acceptable prejudice. It took me years to be able to hold my head up and walk with confidence in the world and love myself as is.
I have so much more to say about that, but I will save it for a blog post. Or series. Lol.
First of all the name Louie is very fitting for your rag doll cat! I am sure the cat bonds nicely with you as well. I never owned any pets but I would love to have a cat someday.
I am glad you still get to see the other cats at your mum's place. It must be quite difficult to not see them sometimes especially when attachment is developed.
It sickens me how divided and judgmental people can become unnecessarily meanwhile corporations who create marketing campaigns to alter our thinking benefit from people who are in an endless cycle of changing every little thing about themselves because it was called a "flaw".
I look forward to reading your blog posts!
Cute cat, I'm for dogs and most other animals, humans not so much, am I crazy not sure! Animals chat, never back-chat giving one automatically a healthy body and mind 😄 you gotta be out there a lot more often!
Mind, body fiance/cat. Or is it the other way around?
Great answers indeed and as a total cat person I agree with that especially. I actually did a post a couple days ago listing some important things and Cleo featured there; my cat. Love her so much.
I really like this open and honest answer and am constantly amazed, after over four years on the platform, how amazing the community is.
Thanks for getting involved, your first time, and for your candid response. I hope you'll be back...And will come back to engage with some others also.
Cleo? Why do cats end up having cute names than humans? 🤣 Just kidding
She's a cutie and her name is also I think. I named her Cleopatra but immediately I started calling her Cleo. She only gets Cleopatra when she's in trouble...But then again, I never get mad at her so, Cleo is it.
😂 I could relate very well to calling names longer when angry but it's cool you don't get mad at her at all.
She's so cute and seem very relaxed on the couch... Nice
Her hand is extended because we were holding hands; she likes doing that - I do too.
Aww. I had a cat who used to hold my hand also! Louie came with the name Louie (long story). We could have renamed him, but he was 11, and we didn't think he needed any further upheaval.
My other cat -- my daughter named her Patagonia. I have always called her Nia (the end of Patagonia). I got Nia when she was a kitten. She is 11 now. Louie is 14.
This is Miss Nia on my messy bed. She is a little black and white tuxedo kitty. She has a lovely little soul. The other day, I was feeling anxious, and she sensed it and came to sit with me all day. Louie is lovely, but a bit more self-centred, which is perfectly acceptable.
Nia looks a lot like Merlin, the cat I lost last year. Had him for 22 years and miss him so much.
It's incredible how they can sense mood I think. Mine know just when to come over for a cuddle or just sit with their paw on me as if to say, it's ok, I'm here.
Aww. I'm sorry to hear you lost your kitty. I lost my best friend kitty Aslan in 2010, and I am still not over it. I am at peace with it, but I still miss him like crazy.
We adopted a 15 year old cat named Leo last year. He passed away halfway through the year, and we were very sad. We missed his fuzzy face and weird little ways a lot. However, it wasn't the same as when I lost Aslan.
I suppose we knew Leo didn't have a lot of time left. Still, we hoped it would be more than a year. Poor little guy.
I always feel like cats deserve a good home, even if they are older. Almost no one seems to want to adopt older cats because they are afraid of getting their heart broken. I know a cat is a guarantee I will get my heart broken, but I will also get and give much love in the interim. And, with any age cat, who knows how long they have? We just hope for the best.
Oh great, would love to hold hands with her someday 😃 I hope I'm welcomed
She's a good cuddler and hand holder. 😊
omg that's so cute😍😅
She's a cutie. My little girl.
I tended toward thin my first 45 year but since I've gone fat. As long as I was still playing baseball I'd have to look to put on weight for the season. I REALLY like to eat.
I've been close to 300 pounds twice, I lost 75 pounds a couple years ago but got it all back during quarantine. I'm down about 25 headed for 75 right now with a diet I think will be sustainable for me.
The ONE thing I've done is remain active. My dog and I are waiting for sunrise and our morning walk. About 3 miles for me and probably 5 for him.
Anyway, that is my way of saying that I understand your list and certainly agree with it-except for maybe the cat part :)
Thank you for sharing that with us.
Wow! Glad to know that your finance also make you happy and the cat, is he sleeping or not feeling too well?
Thank you. I wish my finances were making me happy! Lol. Was that a typo? That is a happy, sleepy kitty who has a financially strapped Momma, who is engaged to a lovely man. Honestly, my pecuniary situation has been worse, but it could be better.
Okay it still nice
Thank you.
I love what you ended it with... It could be better and that's for sure, it's nice knowing you @harlowjourney now, that name is not gonna leave my head anytime soon 😂
Wow these are really important to you from all you said, and I could relate to the first one very well. I had a bit of a conversation with my friend whose mother has some mental issues because of a prolonged depression and it just happened that she has been hiding her pains for a very long time.
I'm glad that you're very much aware of anything that could happen and you're taking precautions now, ts best that way because you'll surely be fine and be able to avoid it.
So long you're doing what you need to do, your body would be in the shape you want it to and I could tell you are doing what's best for you.
That cat is so adorable and I love the name 😊 a male or female cat?
Thank you. You are very kind. It is amazing how many people hide their depression. I did for many years. I always had a big smile. Most people would not have guessed I think.
What's funny about depression (?) is that people often think it is sadness. Mild depression can feel like sadness, but more severe depression robs a person of the ability to feel anything. Joy, love,... It can be like standing in a vast grey field with a grey horizon. There just doesn't seem to be a point.
Fortunately, there is treatment. Unfortunately, when people are depressed, one of the things depression does is to convince us that everything is hopeless and treatment cannot possibly work. That is the essence of why it is a terrible illness.
I am grateful that it currently fluctuates between being mild and in remission, depending on the week.
I've never thought of this, it's so true... One would feel no excitement to live again so treatment won't have effect on the person... So sad
Awww... Such nice things. Keep mind and body in synch and everything will be ok. Mental health is such an underrated concept, but the pandemic has shown once again how important it is to keep a healthy mind. Bodies as our vessel also need some love to keep going.
Man! That cat looks beautiful. I feel the need to pet it! Even if it bites me! 🤣
😂 I don't it would bite you or will it?
One never knows with animals. 🤣
Thank you. I agree that mental health is under-rated. Louie is a ragdoll and he loves attention. He would love to be petted as long as you stay out of the "no fly zone," which is his tummy. No one is allowed to touch the tum tum or they do get bitten, but he bites in slow motion, so it is quite easy to avoid.
(He does everything in slow motion. It is a side effect of his breed I think (ragdoll). We got him secondhand. I love ragdolls, but I prefer to get cats who are desperate for a home. Despite being beautiful, after his first human passed away, no one wanted Louie because he was 11. I wanted him a lot. I was grateful.)
Indeed. It's an underrated issue. Ha, ha, ha. Ok, I'll keep my hands away from the tum tum. Though the slow motion bite sounds enticing. 🤣
He is a beauty!
Glad to see you found your way around your weight issues...keep at it👍 and good luck
Great post...
But I do not put myself first, I probably should.?
My Cat is #1
Shhhh... Do not tell @pooky-jax
Uh oh, I think She knows.
We have that in common.
Her Jax is #1.
Is that your cat? And is that you? The King of Giphy... Nice meeting you 😂
That is my wife @pooky-jax
The one who still has Her sanity here at the Pookyville Cat Ranch...
Or is She Nuts Too..?
After all my insanity, She has stuck with Me for nearly 28 years now, 22 years married, as of last week.
Awww happy anniversary in arrears... I hope there was cake
And it's cool to have your wife on Hive too, I'm smiling right now having some kind of imaginations
Thank You.
We went to Red Lobster for Crab Legs and Steak.
😂 Food again? Don't you ever stop? It's cool though
We Probably go out to eat too often. But we do not smoke, or drink much any more. We go out once a week, maybe twice sometimes.
Crack Chicken tonight in the crock post. Soooooo Yummy.!!!